https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSfH0ztaBs

Audiobook for anyone that needs it

I believe in one of our texts or the video about the Atlantic Slave Trade, this was a common theory of white slave traders because the people they took never came back, so they thought that they were eating them.

food or provisions. Source

Perhaps the large sacks that he mentioned in chapter 1?

I believe one of the texts we read for "Context: The Wider World" mentioned that the indigenous people that they observed had swearing word or for bad acts like stealing or adultry. Maybe this was common in Africa across tribes?

Although we're expected to wash our hands before eating now, I think it's important to note that it wasn't a common practice back then. One of the contributors to the Black Plague in Europe was the miseducation around hygiene so a culture that partook in similar hygienic practices as are would be seen as extreme.

Such a double edged meaning to refer to yourself as this way when talking about how the slave trade has treated you. I think it's a way to poke at how upper class people say servant in a hospitality manner while actually having servants that they treat like filth.

This was probably a common way to address readers back then and it serves as a reminder how much women were expected not to read.

This line makes it seems like this was an interpretation of something that actually happened to someone that Swift knew. I wonder if like Beowulf, it's a fictional story about a past that was never lived. The story leans on Gulliver's want for travelling, maybe someone didn't get to travel.

I notice Swift sometimes repeats details twice. I wonder if he just forgot he wrote it or if it was on purpose. Editing and proof - reading must have been the WORST back then.

You could extend this as a metaphor for European Colonization where those that look like brutes (as they thought all others them weren't them) are actually quite noble, while those that look like them (the yahoos) are the actual brutes.

Swift breaks the fourth wall often. It carries on a pattern I've seen in other pieces that we read where they direct messages to the reader, add more info (like how the mathematicians figured out how many Lilliputians he was) or leave out info (like the gracious expressions to be humble) in order to make the story seem more real when read out loud.

Different translations give different colors. The audiobook I'm using to read this gave blue,red, and green. I wonder what's the significance of that little change?

Although he promised the items back, it doesn't seem like he will get them back if they're taking inventory with additions like these.

He has the same kind of technological creativity as Cavendish did with how the wind sails created a faux current. In a lot of ways, Gulliver's Travels have a lot in common with The Blazing World.

This line kind of bothered me because his experience isn't really what slavery, as I've been taught, was like. He doesn't seem empathetic to the slaves around him, asking to trade slaves for his freedom. He's also treated pretty fairly and not like a slave at all. There's a lot of strange excerpts in this text where they're like "Yes he's black but he's like us! He has a Roman nose! He speaks English!" It's more like he's just stuck in a place he doesn't want to be.

I wonder why the author chooses to use 'em instead of them

This is such a contrast to how Thomas Hariot described a similar experience

"They are a people cloathed with loose mantles made of deer skins, and aprons of the fame round about their middles ; all else naked, of such a difference of statures only as we in England"

You can tell the difference between cultural appreciation and viewing a culture from a colonizing lense.

Sound familiar to what older people say to those who know how to use a smartphone?

I wonder if this story is actually true or if she's doing what poems/storytellers from our earlier modules would do by saying "this is true" or stating a specific detail to make it seem true to both better the story and show that it's suppose to be read aloud.

Maybe a way of reminding us that no one knows our world like the animals that inhabit it. Birds are the best pilots, fish are the best sailors, animals are the best hunters, etc.

Until this line you assume that Death is cooking humans but this line makes you realize that humans are acting as gods/death when ending animals lives.

By giving the hare a name and letting us see the hunt from the hare's perspective, she makes us empathize and care for the animal.

It's incredible the amount of empathy one has to have towards animals to realize that most of their days are spent on survival and running towards safety. This makes me wonder if she grew up around animals?

I think she's personifying the strain of writing for hours when she says she observed the way she was bent and her hand began talking to her. When the pain and the fatigue sets in hard enough, is when we ask ourselves (and our bodies ask us as well) is what we're doing truly worth it?

From this point on she uses personification to show how to seasons change in such a holy place. She begins with spring, mentioning flowers and fruit, then talking about withering plants that cry (fall) and frosted tips(winter)

I'm reading this as her saying "Either you're saying that God framed Eve because he would have know that she would have taken a bite, because he is the most perfect, most all-knowing being OR Eve isn't the only one to blame."

Pheme - goddess of Fame, Zeu's messenger and vengeful goddess

Whenever they capitalize something like this, it usually has to do with a god/goddess. (Ex. many of our readings has Fortune capitalized for lady fortune.)

Greek Goddess of Sorrow - Algea

Greek Goddess of Death/Sleep - Thanatos, often shown as the personification of death that we commonly see

Also, worth noting that they're both women

I wonder if the pattern of threes has anything to do with this line? Most likely not the Trinity but the Father, the son, and the holy spirit?

State or condition Source in this context

It's interesting she'd use this, considering the Queen probably did have the biggest estate in Britain as well. Maybe it's to parallel her power politically as well as her power as a woman?

"Hail the king of the Jews" in English, most likely alluding that she'll be using lots of excerpts from the bible.

Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum means "Long live the King of the Jews" so synonyms

Marriage seen as an arrangement or an exchange like previous modules

Although he wants them together but also doesn't want them together because he thinks Ferdinand is a spy, it's a bit ironic that him separating them is actually driving them closer together. I watched a psychology video that explained that parents disapproving of a relationship actually makes the lovers work harder to be together rather than just letting it run its course, particularly in the teenage years. It makes he wonder if he's acting like this on purpose to drive them closer.

A gaberdine or gabardine is a long, loose gown or cloak with wide sleeves, worn by men in the later Middle Ages and into the 16th century. Source

I wonder what the ship passengers' relationships are to Prospero if he wants them alive. Maybe they're the men the two were talking about before that are now the new Duke's servants?

There's alliteration in this verse to highlight a few things to Ferdinand. My guess is the betrayal of Ferdinand's father and the storm that parted them, maybe tying it together to hint to him why.

Plural of Cherub, "a winged angelic being described in biblical tradition as attending on God." Source, Depicted as little baby angels.

archaic or regional past of dare.Source

root out and destroy completely. Source

I'm guessing this is a fancy way to say "will you guys shut up?" Their mouths are cold because they're open, so that's what I'm guessing.

For anyone who is an auditory learner, here's a link to the audiobook. There are a few differences near the Robin parts but otherwise it's pretty alike. Link

I figured this was probably a reflection of the times and added some historical context.

Burning of Abbeys in Tudor and Stuart England The schism between the Church of England and that of the Roman Catholic Church reached a tipping point during the Tudor and Stuart periods of England (1485–1603, 1603–1714), when the citizens loyal to Crown and Country sacked Abbeys and Monasteries across the British countryside, and pillaged their valuable books to burn, degrade, or destroy. David Cressy's (2005) article, Book Burning in Tudor and Stuart England discussed the mechanics of these book burnings and how the enforcement was trickled down to the citizens; that everyone had a part in this "spectacle". "Over the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries book burning developed from a rare to an occasional occurrence, relocated from an outdoor to an indoor procedure, and changed from a bureaucratic to a quasi-theatrical performance" Source

Not only is he paralleling his feelings to Adam, he's also paralleling himself to Adam. His reborn/rebirthed self is that of the first man on Earth, the closest he can be to god/the devil.

in place and time

was the first wife of Paris of Troy, whom he abandoned for the Queen Helen of Sparta. (Source)<br> Bitterly jealous, Oenone refused to aid the wounded Paris during the Trojan War, even though she was the only one who could cure him. She at last relented but arrived at Troy too late to save him. Overcome with grief, she committed suicide (Source)

a prostitute, or the mistress of a man of rank - Source%20or-,courtezan,cortigiano%20courtier%2C%20from%20corte%20court%5D)

The whispers from the good angel and evil angel.

I wonder if this is what began the popular scene of good angel and evil angels taunting a person at crossroads, appearing on their shoulders.

Faustus reminds me a bit of Dr. Frankenstein. Although Mary Shelly wrote it in 1818, necromancy was seen as playing with the unnatural side of life and flying too close to the sun as well.

I'm a bit confused why Strength and Discretion aren't included with Knowledge to stay until the last minute? Don't you need them to keep from sinning/temptation?

The seven sacraments are baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders - Source

the state of feeling remorseful and penitent. Source

Money makes people blind

It seems like this alludes to kin and to church as well. Many religious people at that time and now promise to do their best to not sin but when the time comes, nothing is really done.

According to This site it means to lead, draw, or excite in the past tense.

Although we would read this as sentences that don't rhyme, we should remember that these sentences used to be read with a different accent, as the video we watched on Shakespeare's use of the iambic pentameter way of writing poems.

So you would pronounce this like " for-bur .... yur to yur;"

extreme greed for wealth or material gain. - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avarice

A very interesting irony to bring in that Jesus' blood is suppose to be a symbol of sacrifice but it's also usually mimicked by wine and that's one of the biggest sins, according to the Pardoner.

A possible oxymoron between evil and heavenly? because grace has a lot to do with moving like you're holy.

I believe it was a sin at the time to put yourself on the same level as god.

He speaks in threes a lot. This is the second mention and the first was the three would slay Death. I wonder if it has to do with Pagan beliefs and the holy trinity.

Comparing the appetite to be the knife "That may go through the gullet" of the animal.

Is it really gluttonous to use all the parts? Wouldn't it be more gluttonous to not use it all?

I may be reading too much into this but describing Eve as Adam's wife and not 'our mother' or by her name is a bit sexist? Maybe it foreshadows his attitudes towards women later.

The dove is a symbolism of love in many works of literature so maybe this shows how he also stretches his love for those

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doves_as_symbols#:~:text=Doves%2C%20usually%20white%20in%20color,both%20military%20and%20pacifist%20groups.

Pointing towards Jesus? He was a Jewish preacher and carpenter, which would explain the mentions to the box.

I may be reading too much into this but

3 months = holy trinity = paganism Mention of Lent for Christianity 5 husbands and the 5 virtues of a knight

I read this as a conversation she had between many husbands that she caught cheating and their replies were always "well look at how many times I didn't cheat, where's my reward for that?"

She uses Sir to reference to people. I believe only knights had the title Sir at this time? Maybe she's poking at the knightly-characteristics of romance and how the chastity of it all relates to the bondage in marriage.

Another connection between to Eve and the femininity of this time period?

This may be a possible ties to Adam and Eve? Since Eve came from Adam's rib, so she's paralleling her relationships to that referencing them as father and mother.

Lots of colorful imagery shown in this whole verse. Maybe it's to emphasize that his world has shown itself color since being release, emphasizing a new sense of freedom and perspective.

Is the two-fold evil woe and distress or is this an allusion to something?

Hermes. God of Speed, messangers, and translators. Often shown with wings and gold. Also with a wand, which can explain 'sleep-bestowing wand'.

Possible illusion to the bible? The snake that lured Eve into the garden and made her eat the apple. Connecting that to stealing someone's innocence as stated above for 'tormenting their innocence'.

Another nod to believing in more than one god, showing the intertwining of Paganism and Christianity .

I definitely see a tie between this Tale and Romeo and Juliet where catastrophic ends meet.

I'm a bit confused by this personification or simile. How does a mouse get drunk?

You can see here the duality in their beliefs in both Christianity and Paganism because they show both God and the Goddess of Fortune as two separate entities that exist in the same plane.

These lines along with the two before, there is a continuous theme of connection to the point where its even familial. It's interesting to relate two enemies as so.

We see here a connection between the Dark Ages and Medieval Sexuality modules where grieving and warring is a big part of the times, which does lead to matters of love being scattered.

In the lines where they give imagery of hunting, the diction used may be the element that makes it the first ecosystem/interactive nature poem. The words they use are very violent such as "slit, skewered, bathed in blood." Maybe this is used to convey how savage hunting can be at the magnitude they were doing it at (a crowd of men on horses with hounds and guns)

Ugly body now but the imagery before made him look very attractive, interesting comparison.

Interesting that when Arthur had the axe he extended himself to his full height but now that Gawain has the axe, he leans down to show his neck.

A moment of swearing to god but also about to wound/kill when that is against his faith.

Wasn't bathing/cleanliness not a common practice during this time? Very interesting addition considering the video said that the tales of Arthur were most likely written before the time it was set in.

usually different definitions depending on the context (I got a lot of lord of the ring references when I tried to look it up) most likely means the beginning of their land's history

Also known as Morgana

There's a big tone switch from worry/hurt to dread and anger. This may be due to the fact that she probably thinks he's cheating but I wonder why the author chose this way of amplifying the scene.

I wonder if there are any ties between this piece to robin hood?

kept without a supply of food

"In literature and myth, the swan symbolizes light, purity, transformation, intuition, grace." - Source

The addition of this to a poem that is suppose to be read out loud is very interesting and really sets the scene that the writer wants her audience to feel as if these stories are real.

You would expect him to be reckless with his spending but this shows us that he's being quite charitable his endless amount of money. He may be a bit foolish when it comes to strangers in the forest but it seems like he has a good heart, most likely that's what will save him in the end.

Quite a specific word, possibly foreshadowing for events to come?

This is interesting considering the piece we read where marriage under secrecy was considered a sin. Of course, they could be together without marriage but the imagery and how vexed he is makes me believe that he's either going to commit 'sin of the flesh' or marry her to do so without sin.

a shift in syntax

I wonder what the story within a story was for. Maybe used for future foreshadowing of the next beast to come?

Personification to show shaking walls that creek, referencing back to the beginning of the piece where it talks about the halls' 'timbered walls'

Interesting to see current slang that has origins in old english.

I wonder what the use was of adding this line and belittling the Danes for the prince's words. If they weren't desperate for Beowulf's help, I don't think this would have gone well.

He challenges him to say the Grendel knows he's not threatened around him

impressive use of both kenning and imagery of blood covering the hall

The guards often compliment these men while questioning their intentions. I wonder about why they chose to tell the story this way.

Showing good judgement

Maybe this means that Grendel is God's way of punishing them for their 'pagan shrines' and the wars/violence they celebrated in the hall of Heorot.

Most likely referencing a traditional sea burial. Although the vikings tradition is known to burn a boat before a sea burial, the "sea floor" addition makes me wonder if there was another tradition they were referencing. I'm guessing they wouldn't want to send off their king in a similar fashion as the Vikings due to the historical relationship the English had to Vikings at this time.

In many creative works, the anti-hero can be just as interesting as the hero. In popular culture, Dexter and Hannibal are killers but we still hold onto our seats when they're threatened of being caught. In literature works like The Stranger by Albert Camus, we strangely still wish the best for our anti-hero even though he lacks emotion and self-awareness. Therefore, if the story is good, the audience will be interested in hearing about the damned.

This signals that we're reading from the POV of the wife. The title could also aid us because lament means "a passionate expression of grief or sorrow." Dictionary page

a leader of a tribe or clan https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chieftain#:~:text=%3A%20a%20leader%20of%20a%20tribe,the%20English%20Language%20Learners%20Dictionary

At first I thought this was another story about war or the loss of someone because of it but this line and the last 3 made me see that it's a love story. Still a sad one though.

"vengeance, misery, akin to wracu vengeance, misery, wrecan to wreak" https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wrack

This line along with the lines below it is telling every man that living will be your best mark on the world and the best thing someone can say about you is retelling your legends.

Use of alliteration in this poem is much heavier than the first one. Possibly the heaviest use in the book. Maybe the author wanted us to 'hear' something about this piece.

The poem talks about his loneliness and even his appreciation for it but this line suggests that he sees the act of finding company as easy. Or maybe this suggests that this is common among people (due to feudalism and such).

Possible use of kenning? perhaps a path to treasure like a map can be a dispenser of treasure or a lover can be a dispenser of treasure if you value love.

We get a glimpse into the culture of the Dark Ages that still rings true today. The use of toxic masculinity that makes it a 'noble custom' to a man to not voice his feelings or to close himself up (keeping his spirit closed) to the world.